After a week of catching up on my blogs it was time to do some sightseeing in Medellin.
Medellin Metrocable
High on my sightseeing list was the Medellin Metrocable. The Metrocable was in the opposite end of the city where I was staying. That meant taking the Metro to get there.
The Medellin Metro is very modern and very cheap! Only $2 Canadian to take it to the opposite end of the city.
When I reached the Metrocable I was in for another surprise. The Metrocable is a gondola. Back home gondolas are largely tourist attractions or ways to get to the top of the ski hill. But here they are an integral part of thee transit system for poor people living on the side of the mountain. The big surprise was this Metrocable was included with the $2 I spent to take the Metro. It is just a part of the transit system. So I just transferred to it and off I went for the ride.
Once you get to the top, this is where the tourist part starts. It no longer is a transit system but a tourist ride over a forest plateau. And you pay extra for that. Almost double my $2 transit fare. So the ride continued.
The end was rather disappointing. I was hoping for a nice spot to sit, have a cup of coffee, and enjoy the sights. Instead, there were just a few food stalls and no view.
There are some walks you can do through the forest but that is it.
It was time to head back “home.”
Of course amongst all the poverty is a beautiful soccer pitch 🙂
Time to transfer back onto the transit part of the Metrocable
Soon I was back to my comfortable surroundings in Envigado.
Downtown Medellin
My next sightseeing trip was to go downtown. One of the major attractions there are the sculptures in Botero Plaza created by Fernando Botero.
I walked around downtown hoping to see some more great things.
Other than this mall, I was disappointed.
I decided to take a walk to another place in the downtown area listed on my sightseeing things to see – Bolivar Park.
The park ended up being disappointing as well. I guess worth seeing but not mind blowing ha ha. Perhaps I have seen so much now that it takes more to impress me.
So I just kept walking to lose myself in the city. As I walked I came across the government area. It was deserted but had some nice sculptures.
Back home 🙂
Sunday Football in Poblado
Envigado where I am staying, and Poblado just north are reportedly the two nicest areas of Medellin. An English pub in Poblado was suppose to be the best place to watch NFL football. So that is where I headed.
The area where the pub was located was filled with restaurants around a small park.
Finally got to my pub to watch some football … in English too!
Regional Metropolitano Cerro El Volador Natural Park
My last sightseeing spot was the Regional Metropolitano Cerro El Volador Natural Park. This is a hill overlooking Medellin.
Here I discovered that after a year of riding and a hernia operation, that I am dreadfully out of shape. I discovered this after climbing numerous stairs to get to the top.
I am kind of frustrated, discouraged and disturbed by how out of shape I have become. It is a combination of no strenuous activity and poor eating. Something to watch for if you are planning on a motorcycle adventure of your own.
Anyways, I did make it to the top.
After my exercise I headed past the Medellin river, back on the Metro and home.
Starbucks
Actually, before heading home after each sightseeing trip, and on the days in between, I spent time at Starbucks at the Milla de Oro. It was my place to relax and enjoy a coffee. Plus they knew me and greeted me by name. Unique about this particular Starbucks was that they wrote a saying on everyone’s cup. This is the one I liked the best:
“Brian, the best.” 🙂
My Location from October 24 to November 19, 2017
